By Taylor Bosley Staff Writer After the Red Lions girls basketball finished last season with a record of 17-10 and qualified for states, the ten returning players of the team will be looked at with high expectations this upcoming season. Coach Don Dimoff doesn’t view the loss in size after losing Morgan Khune and Devan Horka as a big worry, but still having a strong net presence is the goal this year. “We have a lot of depth,” Coach Dimoff said despite losing the help around the basket from previous years. The loss of key players won’t change any preparations for the upcoming season, Coach Dimoff said. They will still aim to “pressure full court” he said. “Hopefully this (full court pressure) will neutralize the size issue,” Dimoff said. Junior Courtney Dimoff has her own goals of being a leader on and off the floor. “As well as to do whatever it takes to help my team succeed and win,” said Courtney. Along with personal goals, Coach Dimoff also has team goals. “As a team I would say to just always play hard and have great toughness,” Dimoff said, “Also to get better everytime we step on the floor.” Other than preseason being about preparation and becoming more disciplined, it was also much more focused, said Dimoff. “The team was more focused than it has been in past year I’ve played,” Dimoff said. She said they’ve been focusing on the toughness of the team along with each player being interchangeable on the court.
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By Bella McCarey Co-Editor-in-Chief After graduating matchup players such as Michael Fox, Evan Miller and Matt Wanbaugh, this years’ seniors are itching to now become leaders on the court. The end of last year saw a shooting-arm injury for Miller and Fox reached the 1,000 points milestone, leaving the program open to possibilities for both success and a changeup of defensive tendencies. “Our outlook for this year is to try to win as many games as possible,” Coach Steve Schmehl said. “These guys are ready to be back and we have some good experience, so it’s just up to them.” Seniors Stone McCreary and Austin Huson are both anxious and excited to be back out there again. One of the biggest strategies the boys plan to execute this year is pushing the ball out and away from their side of the court. “I’d say a lockdown defense is my strongest point,” Huson said. Coach Schmehl agrees stretching the defense is key. “We’ll play hard; and offensively we want to avoid turning the ball over.” Forward McCreary poses a threat with his strong net presence and his agile ability to remain hidden in the corners of the court before sneaking in and scoring three point shots. The starting lineup shows bright potential, especially from juniors Bennett Frey, Wyatt Tyson and 6’3” Jason Rebuck. Frey and Tyson successfully stepped up last year as scorers and guards, adding depth to plays. The experience they gained as young varsity players will be evident during this campaign. The two seniors, are “looking forward to going out with a bang,” according to Huson. “I really like those nights when the gym is just packed,” McCreary said. “Being able to showcase what we’ve got and playing those big games.” The seniors last season helped bring the team to the first round of districts, so the goal remains to go as far into post season as possible. By Taylor Bosley Staff Writer This fall Red Lion saw four of their female student athletes sign letters of commitment including senior swimmer Courtney Schaefer. Schaefer committed to Division One school Georgia Southern to continue her swim career at the collegiate level. Schaefer looked at various schools including University of North Florida, Campbell University, James Madison, Florida Southern and East Carolina. Different aspects of the school drew Schaefer to Georgia Southern, including head swim coach Nate Kellogg. “He’s laid back and fun but he also expects his swimmers to step up and swim fast when it’s time to perform when it’s time to perform,” Schaefer said. Also Coach Nate Kelloggs notoriety for IM coaching, which stands for individual medley where the swimmer covers all four swimming styles, and sprint coaching is also what Schaefer sees as a positive. “He’s a good IM coach and sprint coach which are what my best events are so I looked for a college that will also help me improve my times,” Schaefer said. Schaefer also likes the team as they are “bubbly and tons of fun” which she enjoys since her two current teams, club and school, have that same atmosphere. Schaefer thinks that despite the training in the pool being possibly easier than what she does now, the intensity will be at the same level as she currently faces. The weightlifting part of training is what she expects to be the most difficult. “I definitely know the weight lifting will kick my butt since I’ve never lifted before,” Schaefer said laughing. Schaefer hopes that a power based team like Georgia Southern will impact her swimming in a positive way and she will “be dropping time left and right.” Schaefer is looking forward to a great senior year in swimming and hopes to continue to improve. By Ian Adler Multimedia Editor If you’ve ever shot a firearm, you know how difficult it can be to accurately hit the target. But what if it’s moving? Senior Sarah Simmons could tell you all about it. Sarah earned second place in the categories of “Sporting Clays” and “Trap” shooting at this year’s ACUI Upper East Coast Conference Championships. Sarah is also a member of the Mason-Dixon Clay Busters shooting team, who brought seven other shooters to the competition. “My dad thought it would be something for us to do together,” said Simmons, when asked what got her into shooting. “You meet new people, too” Sarah has been shooting for around 3 years, and practices at many ranges but “prefers Glen Rock”. “You get good by going to ranges and practicing and learning how to shoot a gun” said Simmons. Sarah uses a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun with 7/8 ounce loads, and is “working up to a more powerful, 1 ounce load.” “There were a lot of college and some high school teams. Club teams too,” said Simmons. “There were people from as far as West Point and as far south as Georgia.” Simmons plans to continue her competition shooting, and maybe even earn a first place ribbon next time around. By Ellen Weaver Staff Writer Major sports teams have plenty of them and many college riots have been caused by them; sports fan can be a wild group. So what is Red Lions’ own Rowdies doing to bring enthusiasm to school sporting events? Before the Rowdies were formed, Red Lion had not had any large student sections in years. By using clever theme nights and general team spirit, the Rowdies have been able to bring about a group of students throughout all grades to cheer on Red Lion’s sports teams. Junior Austin Kelly is the unofficial leader of this group. he leads chants, movements, and is in charge of bringing about the general rowdiness of the Rowdies. Many believe the Rowdies are having a positive effect on both the players and students who are participating. “The Rowdies support shows how committed we are to our teams and creates positive energy for our teams to build off of,” Kelly said. “I think the students really enjoy participating in the themes for every game and to get them excited for this season, I will be letting the students vote for school appropriate themes on twitter @TheLionsDome.” Neon Night, Black and Gold, American Night, Hawaii, Christmas, and Camo are just some of the themes the Rowdies have planned for the upcoming basketball season. Jenna Hevner, a senior who participated in many of this seasons football student sections, believes that the Rowdies increase school spirit at athletic events. “It made it more pumped,” Jenna said, “The Rowdies make the teams wanna play better.” By Adrianna Clinton Co-Editor-in-Chief After humbly beginning his soccer career with the Windsor Recreation team 13 years ago, Scott Rissler will now play Division I soccer for Duquesne University next fall. Rissler recently committed to the school located in the Pittsburgh-area, and will be majoring in Forensic Science & Law. After touring the campus, he really liked Pittsburgh and that the campus was “really unique.” According to Rissler, the soccer program is “on the rise...they got a new coach two years ago. They’re moving in the right direction, and I like what the team’s about,” Rissler said. He was pursued by other D-I schools, such as the University of Delaware, Lehigh University, Bucknell and Cornell. Ever since the age of five, Rissler has been playing soccer: “every little kid plays soccer,” the goalkeeper said. However, not every little kid goes on to have the stellar career that Rissler has had. After his sophomore season, he was named a York-Adams League Division I First Team All-Star. The next year, he was a captain for Red Lion and received Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State Team honors. He was the only junior in the goalkeeper category to be given the accolade. Prior to this season, the goalkeeper was named to the TopDrawerSoccer All-America Preseason Watch List, being one of 19 players from the state to be chosen. During his senior soccer season, Rissler elected to “take a bigger step in [his] soccer career” and play for the D.C. United Youth Development Academy Team, which he joined in spring of 2014. According to its website, the focus of the D.C. United youth program is to “develop players to their full potential and consistently place players on youth national teams, top collegiate programs, and ultimately with D.C. United’s First Team.” Three or four nights a week, Rissler travels to Washington, D.C. for practice. Rissler just played in a showcase in Florida, which wraps up the fall season. “We have a small break now. The spring season will begin in January, and June is playoffs,” Rissler said, adding that, “It is the highest level of youth soccer and is part of the best league in the country.” Currently, the team is ranked eighth in the country and second in its conference. Rissler has high hopes for his college career, and perhaps even beyond that. “I hope to start my freshman year [for Duquesne], definitely my sophomore year. I hope to get accolades within the region in A10, and be named All-A10 once or twice,” Rissler said. “I have aspirations to play pro, but if it happens, it happens. I have a good opportunity with D.C. United.” |
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